West Virginia Democrat. [volume] (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890, 1887-01-07

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the South, resigned as president Of
the bank and went to Europe, where
he remained until 1865 He and his
wife Ga Virginia LADY, inherited a
large fortune, and on his return to
this country he founded the banking
house Of Soutter Il Co. The firm
name of this bank remained I'M
changelnntil it met with financial
disaster and went out Of business in
1884 or 1885. Mr.. Soutter died in
1876 and the firm was reorganized;
a number of new partners being adj
mitted. One of the members OF this
firm was a Mr.. Porter, who was well
and favorably known on the London
exchange and in the financial cen
tres OF Europe. In order to obtain
his services as their agent, the hold
ers of West Virginia certificates as
they are enormously called) execu
ted power of attorney authorizing
Soutter Il Co., to accept in payment
of these certificates whatever West
Virginia might owe on account of
her share Of the Debt of Virginia.
Mr.. Porter's health failed in the
spring of 1884, and he retired en-
tirely from all business. No other
member Of his firm had any connec
ton with the matter, nor did they
know anything about it and, when
Porter retired, Soutter d Co., re-
signed their agency. Thereupon
the Certificate holders appointed
new parties to act for them in this
behalf. Neither Soutter & Co., nor
any member Of that firm ever pur-
chased or owned a single certificate.
Their position was such that they
could not have done so; and this is
perfectly apparent to any one ac-
quainted with such affairs. Mr.. Ma
son was retained by Mr.. Porter as
his counsel in the matter, and as
such he investigated the subject and
published number of pamphlets
which gave the greatest publicity to
every fact.
The widow of Mr.. Soutter's eldest
son married q French Count. Some
six months ago gossipy writer in
one of the New York papers stated,
that this French Count was then in
the city and was about to bring suit
against the Rev. Morgan Dix, pas
tor of Trinity Church, (whose wife
was Miss Soutter,) against William
X. Soutter (who at his fathers death
was a very young man. and against
all of the other surviving children of
the late Mr.. j. L. Soutter The
French Count claimed that he was
entitled, in right of his wife, to her
former husbands interest in his
fathers estate. This writer in the
New York paper also stated
that inquiry among the friends of
the Soutter family had convinced
him that the French Count did not
have a meritorious claim on the
Soutter estate for the reason that the
late Mr. Soutter had made q will and
his son, Che former husband of the
French Counts wife. had died many
years before his father A sensa-
tional story was recently published
in the n. Y, papers to the effect, that
young Soutter had been arrested on
some charge preferred by the French
Count. But the publication, which
came under our observation, also
stated that it was generally regarded
as Matchmaking operation. or
course we have no information on this
point, except what we find in the
newspapers, but inasmuch as Con-
gresham elect, j. V. White, became
Soutter's security on the bail bond,
and in view of the further fact that
Soutter's friends volunteered to fur
hish any bail whatsoever that might
be required, it seems to us very i'm
probable that those most likely to be
acquainted with the circumstances
attach much Importance to the de-
mands made by the French Count"
These are the facts and ont of
these facts tue Grafton paper has
woven the falsehoods published else
where. 1t will be observed that the
Grafton paper asserts that "Soutter
& Co. owned the MAJOR part of the
Certificates and that this firm bought
up these Certificates. In other
words, it asserts as a fact that
which it could not by any possibili-
ty know to be true. To state as
fact that which you do not know to
be true is as culpable and evinces as
depraved heart as to state rs true
that which YOU know to be false.
The public will form its own esti-
mate of man who makes the state
ment that Soutter & Co. bought up
Certificates" when such was not the
fact, and when, if it were the fact,
he could not possibly know of its
existence. There are men in this
State who value their responsibility
so highly that they would not ex
change places with the editor Of the